Summer of Slipper: Out and About (and hiding a little bit)

The nights are drawing in, the weather is cooling off, my opaque tights are out, my morning commute is full of kids (but thankfully not my evening one any more), the shops are full of berry shades and my Sky+ is full of new season telly.

Autumn is here! Yippee.

I love autumn.

But before autumn comes summer. This summer was a BUSY one, and an emotional one. Aside from attending 237,546 weddings (only a slight exaggeration) and some amazing and exciting events, trips and parties almost every weekend, I also had a lot of stuff to deal with. Rubbish stuff. It almost broke me. Almost.

For that reason, I was a bad blogger. Despite doing a ton of cool stuff, that I loved and enjoyed and appreciated, I wasn't at my most effusive.

But that's enough about that.

Now, though, I'm full of back-to-school beans. These past two weeks at work have been ALL the busy, I've got some exciting and amazing adventures coming up, and generally have lots to look forward to. Not least A/W clothing, a few trips and the countdown to Christmas.

Despite finding it hard to use my words (to quote TC), I didn't find it hard to use my camera, so, in pictures (and a few links), here's what you missed this summer...



Tea, cake and a nosey around Buckingham Palace with my Tea Shop Luvvies

More Mad Hatter's afternoon tea at The Sanderson Hotel. Read about the last time I went here.

I went back to the stadium, to re-live last year's London 2012 memories

The boy and I took a teeny tiny mini/city break to Barcelona. Read about it on Florence Finds.

Afternoon tea with a twist at BRGR.co Soho

Champagne tasting at Searcys Champagne Bar at One New Change with some lovely ladies

A special someone came to visit. We talked a LOT. We drank even more at Aqua. CP+CT+VH=4evs

We made hats out of junk in a field at Fling Festival.

I drank my house dry on the 1st anniversary of moving in - and slept on the front lawn.

I had WAY too many G&Ts

I tingled with goosebumps as I watched my fave Shakespeare play at midnight

I checked out Queenie's pimped up ride at The Royal Mews

I saw Harry Pot... sorry D-Rad on stage. And he was, surprisingly, flipping amazing!

I saw Top Hat and yearned for Strictly to come back soon... and for an occasion to wear a sparkly, feathered ballgown

My knees went wobbly as i looked down over London from The View at The Shard. Read about it on Florence Finds.

We were slightly disappointed by the 80s Club to Catwalk exhibition at the V&A



We hung out at Tom's Terrace and embarrassed ourselves for Claire's 30th

 

We checked out some new funky places, including this one... with cocktails. on. tap. That's right...

I got an education in weird wine, in the comfort of my backgarden...



... with my Pineapple Club ladies

When I look back, actually, the "sad" is starting to fade. I reckon before the first live show of X Factor 2013 it'll all be a distant memory.

Happy autumn, peeps!

I Love Autumn

In the Summer it may not be sunny. In the Winter it may not snow. In Spring the weather just gets on my nerves.

But in Autumn it's just lovely.

Snuggly parka for Autumn

You're expecting cold crisp days with golden leaves falling from the trees - and you generally get it. If you don't - it's not the end of the world because what's nicer than being snuggled indoors, with a cuppa, a blanket and your fave book/film/ITV costume drama series written by Julian Fellowes, watching the howling wind and lashing rain?

Christmas jammies...

... and a festive onesie

I don't mind rain-watching when it's MEANT to be raining. I don't mind dark and gloomy skies when it's MEANT to be dark and gloomy. I don't mind the cold when I have lovely new boots/coats/hats, gloves, scarves/ear muffs to be worn.

Family birthdays

And let's not forget what Autumn means every year (a mental list I compiled after reading this post on Florence Finds):

• Halloween
• trashy telly
• period dramas
• hot chocolate and other hot speciality drinks (egg nog, gingerbread lattes, mulled wine, spiced cider, winter Pimm's) arriving on menus up and down the high street
• snuggly pyjamas or, in fact, ONESIES
• fireworks and sparklers
• the countdown to Christmas

and this year we also had some added excitement with an engagement party, a trip to see Cabaret, a visit to Harry Potter Studios for a family birthday, some James Bond action and I CUT MY FRINGE BACK IN! Sorry Mr G.

The fringe is back!

 

 As I said in my comment on the post:

Things I’m specifically looking forward to this Autumn/Winter are:
1) spending a whole weekend with my Mr preparing for our first Christmas in our new pad: picking out new seasonal decorations, putting them up, making christmasy treats, inviting our friends and family over to eat and drink them, and then snuggling up together under a blanket to eat the leftovers together. Now to just find that weekend…
2) listening to rain crashing on the glass of our new conservatory (now the big fat hole the burglars made is fixed of course), and snuggling up under a cosy blanket with a good book and cuppa.
3) similarly, one of my most memorable New Year’s Day mornings was when I slept on a kitchen chair in a conservatory (don’t ask) and I watched the New Year sun rise over a snowy, countryside horizon. I’m hoping it snows a lot (sorrry!) so I can attempt to replicate this feeling, again in our new conservatory. (you might not have noticed, but all of a sudden the conservatory that I once hated is now my fave thing in the world. Strangely, it’s the winter that’s made me love it, not the summer!)
4) getting round to hosting a house warming party – we may not have used the BBQ in the summer, but we are not letting 2012 end without christening it – it’s a beast!
5) wearing colourful opaque tights, boots, knits, layers, scarves, hats and mittens – at ALL times! I look so much better in winter clothes. FACT!
6) wintery drinks at all high-street coffee shops – Gingerbread Lattes, Black Forest mochas, minty hot chocolates
7) burning candles
8) wrapping up warm to head outside and then stripping it all off upon reaching your destination – who doesn’t love a glitzy evening dress hidden under a parka
9) wintery cocktail parties
10) Christmas shopping
11) dark nail polish
12) glitter and sequins… the Christmas countdown makes it acceptable for adults to wear these in daylight.
13) root vegetables – in and with everything.
14) planning my entry for the annual family soup competition
15) eating lots and lots of colourful soup.

I really, really love Autumn.